


Stable Boy

by CaptainErica



Category: 2NE1, Big Bang (Band), K-pop
Genre: As you wish, M/M, Prince!Jiyong, Stable hand Youngbae, this is my other favorite type of jiyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 12:05:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11161491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: Chaerin needs to find Jiyong the perfect present for his upcoming birthday, and it just so happens she's found exactly what she wants to get him at a small inn.





	Stable Boy

Chaerin, the immaculate Duchess of the Lower Lands, had grown up visiting the castle often. She was from a rich and influential Duchy and as such, she had spent much of her time as a child with the Prince and Princess and the other royal children of the realm. She is close to the Prince, close in a way her mother had at one point hoped would turn into a marriage but absolutely had not and most certainly would not have even if her interest had lain there.

She's happy with the man she chose to be her husband; more than happy, really. 

They're in their carriage, the castle situated just north of center in the kingdom their destination. It's a long journey, mostly because they'd been staying in one of their houses furthest south, and they've been in the carriage for  _ hours _ by now. Chaerin reaches forward, her fingers resting lightly on her husband’s knee in order to get his attention. 

“Do you know how much farther to the inn?” She asks softly, her eyes lighting up as he turns toward her, a fond smile on his handsome face.

“Not much farther, I promise.” He says, just as softly. Then he clears his throat and leans forward just a little, his fingers reaching out to trail over hers lightly. “Have you thought about what you want to give Jiyong for his birthday?” He asks.

She leans back again, letting out a light sigh. “Oh Daesung, I don't know.” She says, a moue of annoyance on her face. “He's got practically everything he could want already.” She says with a small huff. Daesung's smile broadens at her reaction, and he shrugs just a little in response.

“We’ll think of something, we have a night at the Inn and then another day of travel before we get there, yeah?” He says, and she lets out a small sigh. He's right though, so she can't be upset.

It was Prince Jiyong’s birthday in a few days and while they weren't  _ required _ to present him with a gift, it would certainly not be discouraged if one were to show up with one; and Chaerin always gave the  _ best _ presents. She'd had a very hard time coming up with what to get Jiyong this year, however, because as the Prince he really did have everything he could want. They make it to the inn relatively soon after, a place they’ve been to before, and their valet opens the door, gently handing her down before Daesung climbs out behind her, slipping his arm through hers and taking her hand. 

They’re turning away from the carriage to head into the inn when Chaerin spots him; the perfect gift for Jiyong.

Her hand tightens in Daesung’s and he turns to look in the direction she is. Coming their way is a young man, probably just a little older than them. He’s a little on the short side, but he’s broad-shouldered and just generally well-built. His face is actually arresting to look at, though, and even Daesung can appreciate that. 

“Jiyong would like  _ him. _ ” She says, softly, eyes following him surreptitiously as he comes up to the horses at the front of the carriage. 

“Seungri, help the stable hand, go on.” Daesung says, nodding to the front of the carriage. The valet turns and dashes to the front, speaking to the man just a little quieter than he normally would, which is still rather loud. “You can’t give  _ people _ as gifts, Chaerin. I don’t think the King would approve of that.” 

She laughs, turning her eyes back on the very attractive stable hand as he leads their horses away, dragging the carriage to be parked out back. “But he’s  _ perfect, _ Dae!” She says brightly, and he tugs on her arm, directing her inside. She goes without complaint, knowing that he knows she’s right. 

Later in the evening, while Daesung’s busy, she gets Seungri to tell her everything he’d learned about the stable hand. If there’s anything she can trust Seungri with, it’s finding out everything she wants to know about someone without her even having to ask him to. She finds out plenty of useful information, like how the man’s name is Youngbae, and how he’s been working there for a while, basically running the stable by himself.

“He’s good, though, really good at his job.” Seungri’s saying when Daesung comes back.

Daesung drops a kiss to the top of Chaerin’s head, his hand falling to her shoulder. “Gossipping without me?” he asks, and she grins. 

“Seungri’s going now.” She says brightly, her head tilting just a little. Seungri nods, getting up to leave. “Come sit down.” She says, and Daesung sits down beside her. She rests a hand on his arm, leaning forward to place a kiss on his cheek. When she leans back, she’s got an innocent look on her face that Daesung can see through from a mile away. “Isn’t Jiyong looking for a new Stable Master?” She asks, one hand coming up to gently push a lock of hair behind her ear.

Daesung looks at her steadily for a moment, an amused smile falling onto his face. “I believe that you are correct.” He says mildly, not wanting to encourage her, but finding it hard not to at the same time. 

“So it would be well appreciated if we were to help him locate a trustworthy, hardworking, well-trained individual to fill that position.” She says, leaning back in her chair, face the picture of polite innocence.

“I'm sure that he would be very appreciative of your efforts.” Daesung responds, amused.

“And if the new Stable Master were exceptionally handsome….” She says, trailing off, a smile on her face.

Daesung sighs just a little. “He doesn’t want a toy, Chaerin.” He says, and it’s just a little stern.

Chaerin pouts a little, tapping her fingers against the table. “The King and Queen would see him married to a goat if it made him happy. Besides, a little fun never hurt anybody!”

Daesung would like to disagree, because it could very well hurt the  _ stable boy,  _ but she’s not wrong about Jiyong’s parents…

They leave the Inn at the break of dawn with their gift for the Prince in tow, and Youngbae desperately wonders why he agreed to move to the capital with just the word of the Duchess to go by.

***

Jiyong is awoken by a shaft of sunlight from the main window across from his bed. The curtains had been thrown wide whilst he slept that morning, and the full force of the morning sun is now upon him. 

He stretches, takes his time, and then slowly leaves bed in favor of the chair before the fireplace where his breakfast tray is waiting for him. It’s simple and light and exactly what he likes for when he’s just woken up. It takes him a little while, but then a smile slowly crosses over his face; today Chaerin and Daesung would be arriving. 

Jiyong lives for days when his friends come to see him. With his older sister in training to take over the throne, he has more free time and less people to fill it with. It’s alright  _ most  _ of the time, but he’s a little lonely.

When he’s finished eating he dresses and makes his way down to see about going for a short ride before they arrive. He should have a good 3 hours or so before they get there. The stable is a mess, which immediately sets him on edge, but he reminds himself that they’re looking for a new stable master, and spends a little more time grooming the horse he wants to take out than he normally would just because he feels bad for the state of the place. 

By the time he hears the heralds calling that they’ve visitors, he’s ready to stable his horse for the day. He’d spent quite a while out on the trails in the forest behind the castle, so he’s not too upset that his fun is done for the day. He makes a face at the stable again as he prepares to leave, and wonders if they’ll ever find a stable master he approves of. He considers changing, but then the herald calls again and he knows he’s not got any time to change. Luckily it’s Chaerin and Daesung or it would be more of an issue that he’s in his riding pants and jacket.

He makes his way in through the back of the castle so that he can descend the front steps and make a proper entrance, and is pleased to see them slowly stepping down out of the carriage as he makes his way out of the front door.

“Well if it isn’t the Duchess and her Lord, come to see me?” Jiyong says, descending the stairs as he speaks. “To what do I owe such a pleasure?” he asks, and his eyes rake over them and take in what appears to be a new servant of theirs with the horses. His face freezes, eyes locked on the man running his hand over the nearest horse’s nose, and almost misses what Chaerin is saying.

“-- And you know how I  _ love _ to visit you on your birthday!” She finishes, and Jiyong snaps his eyes back to her, smile bright and easy like he’d been listening to her the whole time.

“And I love when you come to visit me for my birthday.” He says, and she laughs.

Daesung sighs, amused as he shakes his head, and then nods back over at the carriage. “Seungri will be bringing up the bags now, but I think Chaerin would like to show you your birthday present, first.” He’s smiling, and he always is but there’s something else in there as well, and he can’t tell if it’s humor or something else that’s driving this particular smile.

Jiyong turns expectant eyes on her, pleased and humored and wondering what is going on now. “You’ll  _ love  _ my present.” She says, and he grins, turning to follow her with his eyes as she moves around behind Daesung to head back to the carriage. “Come on, then.” She says, and Jiyong gives her a look but follows anyway.

“I’ve already  _ got _ horses, Chae.” He says, a little teasing, and Daesung obliges him by laughing politely from behind them. Jiyong throws Daesung a look over his shoulder, because Chaerin has wandered around to the other side of the horses, clearly so excited to show Jiyong her gift that she couldn’t wait for him.

Daesung just shrugs, then nods toward the front to convince him forward. Chaerin reappears and grins at him, eyes bright, face open.

“We stopped at the Inn, you know? On the road north.” She starts, and Jiyong takes a couple of steps forward. “And I had the  _ best _ idea!” Jiyong’s curious now, extremely curious, eyes open wide as he watches her. She murmurs something to someone, almost like she’s trying to be encouraging, and then she steps out with the most attractive man Jiyong has ever seen.

He’s quiet for a second, unable to look away, and he realizes that maybe he shouldn’t be so rude as to stare like this. He forces himself to look up at Chaerin, and she’s grinning, smile bright and wicked. 

“I found you a stable master.” She says, but the tone of her voice is saying something else, and Jiyong  _ knows _ that but he can’t piece it together right at the moment.

“Did you?” He asks after a moment that he’s going to pretend wasn’t embarrassingly long, eyebrow lifting in what can be considered a small reprimand and a large question. He takes a step forward, then another, and convinces himself to be cool and comfortable. “And can he do the work required?” He asks, and Chaerin’s eyes light up, and he knows there’s another meaning that she’s taking from this, adding to it.

“Oh absolutely, he’s  _ marvelous _ , the Inn was quite sad to see him go, but honestly, I couldn’t just leave him there and Lord Kang agreed.” She says, fingers brushing imaginary dust off the man’s shoulders. Jiyong fights the urge to walk around him, check him out, forces his eyes to stay on Chaerin. “Are you pleased, my Lord?” She asks, eyes bright and dancing like she’s amused, and Jiyong knows there’s something else here, and he’ll get it out of her at some point, maybe.

“If he’s as good as you claim him to be, then I will be most pleased.” Jiyong responds, almost without thought. He turns to call forward the nearest servant, and asks them to kindly show their new stable master to his quarters. “You’ll excuse us, but you must be tired from travel as well.” he adds to the man, who looks up briefly before bowing politely. 

Chaerin grins, pleased, and pets the man’s head gently, almost affectionate. She says something to him again, quiet, and he smiles softly at her and Jiyong forces himself not to look at them. 

When they’re settled in one of the many parlors, after they’ve greeted the King and Queen and Jiyong’s sister, Jiyong crosses his legs and looks over at them. “So you found him at the inn…?” He asks, leading, and Daesung laughs, turning to look at Chaerin who has the decency to blush. “You can’t technically give people as gifts, you know.” He adds, and Daesung laughs again.

“No, but,” She starts, and Daesung finishes it for her.

“But you needed a stable master, and it just so happens that he perfectly fits the bill.”

“And he’s absolutely stunning to look at.” Chaerin adds, and Daesung turns to her again, raising an eyebrow. “Oh  _ I’m _ not interested, but you  _ know. _ ” She says, and that’s when the whole thing clicks in his head.

“Chae…” Jiyong says, shaking his head a little, and he’s  _ almost _ embarrassed that he’d stared, that she knew him so well that she knew exactly who he would be attracted to but…

“Oh stop, he’s extremely capable, and I’ve absolutely ruined the Inn for our horses by taking him, so you’d better be pleased.” She says, leaning back, crossing her own legs.

“And if he isn’t up to your standards, at least you can look at him while you tell him what to do.” Daesung adds, and Chaerin covers a laugh with a polite hand while Jiyong scowls lightly.

“Enough, I trust you, I’m sure he’ll be perfect for the position.” and he forcibly ignores the reaction that sentence gets.

***

The next morning, early, Jiyong gets up and makes his way out to the stable. He tells himself that it’s because he wants to make sure that the man (Youngbae, that’s what Chaerin told him the man’s name was) can do the job,  _ is _ doing the job, but he knows it’s not true. Youngbae is already up when he gets there, he can tell because he can hear the horses moving around, whinnying softly.

He can also hear soft singing, and that voice can’t be any of his other servants, so he knows it must be Youngbae.  _ It just keeps getting better. _

He pulls in a sharp breath, forces himself to stand straight, and makes his way in with as haughty an expression as he can. He can’t let the man know how attractive he thinks he is, that’s tacky and he’s a prince; he’s better than that. 

“Oh,” Youngbae says,clearly surprised to see him, and there’s something about the way that he says it that steels Jiyong’s resolve as he levels a look on him. 

“You’ve been busy.” He says, tilting his head a little, letting his eyes take in how Youngbae looks right now. He’d dropped into a bow after his soft exclamation, and Jiyong considers him for a moment longer ( _ hair short and dark, arms bare and well-built, and who knew what the rest of him looked like under those baggy, old clothes _ ). “You’ll need new clothing, befitting of your place here.” He says, turning away to look over the stalls Youngbae had already cleaned out. It wouldn’t do for the man to catch him checking him out.

“Yes, of course my lord.” Youngbae says, voice pleasantly low and quiet. “We’ll need at least one stable hand…” He adds, trailing off, and Jiyong nods absently, still rolling the sound of his voice through his head. 

“Yes, speak to Soonho, he’ll work on it.” He says, turning back to look down his nose at Youngbae. “I’d like to ride this morning.” And that’s a test, and Jiyong feels like he’s being horribly unfair but he can’t stop himself from  _ testing _ because part of him wants to prove that hint in the back of all of Chaerin’s words wrong (does Youngbae know what she’d expected Jiyong to consider? Probably not, however…), and part of him just isn’t capable of letting himself be open and honest in this situation. He’s slightly too well-bred, as well, he supposes.

Youngbae nods, seems to take note of the look on Jiyong’s face that says there will be consequences for doing this wrong, and turns to the horses. 

He’s wrong, of course he is. He chooses first the wrong horse, then the wrong saddle after he finds the  _ right _ horse. Jiyong appreciates, however, that Youngbae never once looks ruffled or upset, not now. When he comes back from his ride, Youngbae leads the horse away, brushing it down, and Jiyong stands there watching him for a bit, but Youngbae ignores him very efficiently and Jiyong can’t even be upset about it.

“He’s very pretty.” Jiyong concedes two nights later over dinner in the Great Hall. He’d gone riding each morning since the first, and even though Jiyong’s demands were insane and random, Youngbae had managed to not only figure him out (in only three days) but to outdo himself each time.

“Yes, very.” Chaerin agrees, and Jiyong only doesn’t scowl at her because it’s impolite.

***

“I don’t like the purple one.” Jiyong says, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against one of the stall posts. It’s been two weeks since Chaerin and Daesung left, and Jiyong’s only gotten worse with Youngbae.

“Yes, you do.” Youngbae says, and it’s quiet but insistent; like he knows he shouldn’t talk back but he also knows that what he’s saying is true.

Jiyong covers a pleased smile with a pout, and he flicks his hair out of his eyes, but Youngbae isn’t looking at him so it’s basically wasted. “Well, I don’t  _ want _ purple today.” He says, but Youngbae just finishes tightening the saddle.

“The other saddles need to be cleaned.” Youngbae says, turning to Jiyong and looking at a spot just beside Jiyong’s face. It’s a mark of his rank, which he’s slowly learning is higher than he’d ever been before, but it still hurts Jiyong somewhere inside that Youngbae isn’t looking him in the eye.

Jiyong stops himself from saying something about how Youngbae should be better at his job; because if there’s one thing he doesn’t lie about, it’s Youngbae’s competency and ability.

There’s a new stable hand in the stable just a couple of days later, and now the stable is always clean and always ready. The stable hand, however, lives down in the village, and so while Youngbae doesn’t have to do everything anymore, he’s still the only person there when Jiyong wakes up early in the morning, ready to pick at him.

It also means that while everything is ready and clean and set up properly and the horses have never been better… Jiyong still has to see Youngbae. Jiyong can saddle a horse on his own, doesn’t  _ need _ Youngbae to do it, but Youngbae is there to do it, awake every morning no matter how early or late Jiyong wanders in.

This particular morning, about four months after Chaerin and Daesung had left, Jiyong is in the stable early. It’s especially early for him considering he’s just returned from a trip north to visit one of the lord's he’d grown up with, so he knows that Youngbae isn’t expecting him. 

It also means that Jiyong isn’t expecting Youngbae. He’s not expecting Youngbae to stumble down from the attic space that connects the stable to Youngbae’s residence, not expecting him to be shirtless and sleepy-looking and soft. Jiyong blinks twice, his brain not really processing it, and then he drops a mask over his expression so Youngbae can’t see the surprise. Not that Youngbae would have noticed because he’s clearly still half-asleep, running his hand over his face and clearing his throat before he bows.

“Good morning, sire, black or brown?” Youngbae asks, and his voice is raspy, deep, clearly blocked by sleep.

The sound of Youngbae’s voice has Jiyong hesitating again, but the moment of silence gives Youngbae the chance to look up briefly and he seems to decide that this is another test, or game, and maybe he just thinks this is how Jiyong is with everybody, Jiyong realizes suddenly and he’s not sure he likes that. Youngbae turns away then, reaching for a bridle and moving to one of the newer brown horses, and it  _ is _ what Jiyong wanted, so he can’t fault him for going for it, but at the same time:  _ how did he always know? _

“The red blanket is too big for her, will the blue be alright?” Youngbae asks, and his voice is closer to normal, so Jiyong moves forward, eyes carefully away from Youngbae’s body.

“This time.” He says, and really, they  _ should _ have a red blanket that’s small enough for this --

“Minho is picking up the new blankets on his way in this morning, so there will be more hopefully by the time you return, if you’d like to look at them.” Youngbae says as he fits the saddle, then the bridle, and then backs away.

Jiyong takes the reigns, looks Youngbae over briefly, down his nose, and nods. “I would.” He says, and then he leads the horse out.

Youngbae is properly clothed when Jiyong makes his way back, but it’s Minho that Jiyong deals with for the blankets because Youngbae is in his office and is clearly busy. Jiyong feels a little slighted, then relieved, then completely frustrated with himself and this whole thing. But he can’t prove Chaerin  _ right. _ She knows him too well, though, and there’s a letter sitting on his desk when he returns to his rooms to change for the day.

He reads through it quickly, nose wrinkling when she not-so-subtly asks how he likes his  _ present _ , and then pens her a long reply. He doesn’t  _ mean _ for it to be so long...but he’s got a lot of things to tell her. For example he must tell her how his recent trip to the north went, and how Youngbae is impertinent. He has to mention how Soonho needs to hire better maids to iron his shirts, and how Youngbae’s eyes catch the glow of the candlelight. He absolutely  _ must _ tell her about the banquet he went to a week previously, as well as how Youngbae always knows exactly what he’s looking for when he goes into the stable.

Except that he doesn’t, really. Youngbae has  _ no idea _ what he really wants, and maybe that’s what’s been making him worse with the man, more than that he doesn’t want to prove Chaerin right. Because it doesn’t seem like Youngbae has any interest in him, none at all. Even  _ Minho _ has looked at Jiyong appreciatively, but Youngbae? No, not even once. All of this, of course, goes into the letter, along with an account of how shirtless Youngbae was that morning.

He doesn’t think about it until it has been sent off, but by then it’s too late, and he just  _ knows _ that Chaerin is going to be falling all over herself and her husband laughing at him over it.

***

Jiyong is flustered. He’s flustered and he  _ hates _ it.

What Jiyong really wants, what he really, really wants… 

Well, it’s indecent, what he wants, but he can’t help that he wants it. Can’t help that Youngbae seems to have given up trying to be formal and polite with him at all times. Can’t help that he and Youngbae are now sprinting past  _ friendly _ and well on their way to actually being friends. He can’t help that Youngbae will stumble down from his bedroom connected to the stable loft, shirtless and rubbing his eyes no matter what ungodly time in the morning he chooses to show up. He can’t help any of that, can’t help that he likes it, and can’t help that he goes at odd times just to try and see Youngbae without his shirt on.

He  _ shouldn’t. _ He really shouldn’t because he’s a prince and Youngbae is the stablemaster that Chaerin had plucked from a small town’s Inn because she thought he’d be a good  _ birthday present. _ Nevermind that you can’t give a  _ person _ as a gift. Nevermind that Chaerin was 100% correct about what Jiyong would want from Youngbae and he can’t even deny it anymore.

“Are the clothes that we provided you with not to your liking?” Jiyong asks. He’s leaning against a post, arms crossed over his chest and he couldn’t help but to ask; Youngbae is shirtless again, shirtless and lifting  _ something _ and that’s just rude, really. 

Youngbae pauses after he’s dropped the crate he was lifting onto the shelf it potentially belongs on, shaking his head a little and rolling his shoulders back. “What?” He asks, clearly having only been half paying attention to what Jiyong was saying.

Jiyong pouts, bristles, then admits defeat because Youngbae  _ had _ been busy. “You’ve been wandering around in an almost perpetual state of undress for the past few days.” He says, frowning still and not moving from his spot against the post.

Youngbae wipes his forearm over his face, and shifts to lean back against the shelf, arm on the crate. He looks like sin and Jiyong feels distinctly more flustered than before. “You’ve not seen me for more than an hour or two each day.” He says, the beginnings of a frown etching itself into his face as he looks over at Jiyong.

Jiyong’s mouth closes immediately, lips pursing for a second before he controls his reaction. He doesn’t control it fast enough, however, as Youngbae raises an eyebrow at him. “So you just parade around like this for me, then?” He asks, a little superior sounding, a little bored. Maybe he’s got him, he thinks, pleased with his fast reaction.

“ _ For _ you?” Youngbae asks, tilting his head to the side, eyes never leaving Jiyong’s face, and that’s another thing that Jiyong hates about him; he’s extremely polite with his eyes. “I do the majority of my heavy-lifting in the morning.” He says with a shrug, and Jiyong tries not to pout because if that’s not a dismissal, a rejection of what he’d suggested, then he doesn’t know what is. 

“You can’t lift things with a shirt on?” he asks, instead of pouting and saying something stupid about how he wants Youngbae to be trying to get his attention like this.

Youngbae rolls his eyes, pushing himself up and away from the shelf and slowly starting to make his way closer. “I can.” He says simply as he gets closer, and Jiyong pulls in a breath, blinking a little rapidly. “But you always manage to get here just before I can finish dressing to meet you.” and he’s close, now, face barely a breath from Jiyong’s, who immediately opens his mouth to respond, but Youngbae shakes his head. “And I can’t keep you waiting, can I?” he asks, and there’s a pregnant pause here, because Jiyong feels paralyzed, wants to reach out or lean forward, but also absolutely does  _ not. _

“You’d better not.” Jiyong says instead, and he means for it to be haughty and a little nasty, but it comes out a little more agreeable, a little more ‘hm, you’re not wrong’.

Youngbae’s lips pull into a slow smile, like he’s figured something out, and Jiyong is pretty certain he’s kept his eyes up this whole time but now he panics...and Youngbae uses that panic to his advantage and Jiyong feels faint, amused, and annoyed all at once because Youngbae just hums and leans around him to grab something: naked chest just barely touching the fabric of Jiyong’s shirt. 

“So then we’re at an impasse.” Youngbae says, voice low and quiet beside his ear for the short moment that he’s still that close. “I can’t get dressed in time to not keep you waiting.” He says with a careless shrug, eyes bright as he backs away with a handful of bridles that Jiyong is certain he doesn’t have any need for.

“You’ll have to try harder.” Jiyong says, and it sounds less like he wanted it to, and he knows it doesn’t have the right effect on Youngbae, because Youngbae just shrugs, looking back at him.

“I don’t think I can.” and that’s very...it’s so sincere that Jiyong blinks, uncertain, and then pushes off of the post and drops his arms. 

“I want the gray horse.” He says, and it’s an almost desperate attempt to change the topic because he’s mad at himself for starting it in the first place. He’s mad at Youngbae for not being intimidated by him anymore. He’s mad at himself for how much he really  _ isn’t _ mad that Youngbae isn’t intimidated by him anymore. He wants Youngbae to be like this with him….but he also doesn’t.

Youngbae drops the bridles on the shelf next to the crate, and Jiyong knows he’s fighting with himself not to disagree; because Jiyong  _ doesn’t _ want the gray horse. The gray horse is named Wind, and Wind is awful at the type of early-morning rides Jiyong likes to go on. Also, Wind is a stupid name that makes Jiyong not want to ride the horse normally  _ anyway. _

“Of course.” He says, and Jiyong actually blinks, and then backs away to wait outside: because Youngbae is letting him win, letting him have this for right now, letting him have a reason to be mad at him later when he’s unhappy with how his ride went.

And that’s so… he hesitates to use the word ‘thoughtful’ here, because letting him be angry is a weird thing to be trying. But it’s less allowing Jiyong to be angry and more giving him something legitimate to be angry about, something that isn’t quite as fake as Youngbae not wearing a shirt.

When Youngbae brings Wind out to him, Jiyong thanks him quietly and decidedly doesn’t look back as he walks away. It’s on the trail that it occurs to him that Youngbae could just fall asleep in a shirt and then he wouldn’t have to worry about  _ changing. _

It’s around then that it also occurs to him that what Youngbae had said implies that he most likely doesn’t wear much, if anything, to bed.

***

“It’s entirely possible.” Chaerin says, and Youngbae chuckles. She’s sitting on the shelf where the blankets resided while Youngbae grooms her horses.

“I’m not so sure.” He says, and he’s clearly being honest, not self-deprecating, so she doesn’t reprimand him like she would like to. “He’s just…”

“Ornery? Impatient? Difficult at the best of times?” She supplies, and Youngbae shakes his head, a smile on his face as he finishes brushing the first horse down. “I’m not wrong, you can’t deny that.”

Youngbae snorts, moves over to the second horse. “No, you’re not wrong.” He says, then shakes his head again. “He’s the  _ Prince, _ Duchess, I shouldn’t…”

It’s Chaerin’s turn to shake her head, legs crossed at her ankles. “You’re friends, I know you are, he talks about you all the time, in all of his letters…” She trails off, then wrinkles her nose before leaning forward. “You may call me Chaerin, you know, when we are alone.” Youngbae bites his lip, pausing in his work before shaking his head to himself.

“I couldn’t…” He says, trailing off, but she silences him with a look. “Either way, with the Prince… We are friends, of a sort, but…”

He’s not wrong, but she’s less wrong in this situation; Youngbae just doesn’t know that yet. “You can deny it all you want, but I can assure you that for this, rank does not matter.” she gets up then and lays a delicate hand on his shoulder. “You know I’m right.” she says, before saying her goodbyes and heading up to the castle again. 

And maybe Youngbae  _ does _ know she’s right, but then….

~

“Were you down with my stable master?” Jiyong asks, not looking up from the game of checkers he and Daesung are playing. 

Chaerin hums, moving to place a kiss on both men’s cheeks before sitting on the arm of her husband’s chair. “ _ Your _ stable master?” She asks, and Jiyong knows he’s been caught out, but really, Youngbae was his  _ gift. _ “I saw  _ the _ stable master, and we spoke while he groomed our horses...Daesung we should really see about getting our stable hands trained by Youngbae, he’s unbeatable really.”

Jiyong scowls, more because he’d been half-convinced that Chaerin was going to say something about keeping Youngbae and he’d been wrong, than because he was unhappy with anything she’d said.... He ignores the semantic jab, and rolls his eyes. “Why wasn’t Minho grooming your horses? That’s really  _ his _ job now, Youngbae is far too busy.” Too busy handling your whims, really.

Chaerin shrugs delicately, one hand moving to rest against Daesung’s shoulder. “Because he had other things to do and Youngbae was happy to do it.” She sighs, leaning more heavily into Daesung. “He’s a pleasure to speak with, at any rate, and I think that you should give him more credit in that department.” She grins. “He’s extremely funny, too.” 

Daesung makes a noise then, turning his head to look up at her, and she smiles down at him, and Jiyong knows it’s something secret, some communication between the two of them and he hates that (and wants it, he wants it badly, wonders if he and Youngbae could ever…) “I hope you weren’t harassing him.” He says, and Chaerin looks up at him, pleased with that reaction, clearly.

“No, we were talking about you, mostly, so he was perfectly at ease and not bothered at all.” She says, and Jiyong wants to not believe her, but then there was no reason for her to lie about the conversation, and that’s just frustrating. “He has a lot to say on that topic.” she adds, and Jiyong stares moodily at the board, ignoring her.

It's possible, he thinks as Minho saddles him a horse two days later, that he's jealous of Chaerin’s easy relationship with Youngbae. It's  _ possible  _ that the thought of them talking together, alone, early in the morning when Youngbae is least likely to be fully dressed…

“You know, I'd expected him to be much more...naked, than he actually is. I'm kind of disappointed, really. Your letters made it sound like he was always shirtless.” 

Jiyong blinks, frowns, and turns to look at Chaerin. “I'm sorry?” He asks, confused, and she rolls her eyes, leaning against him a little as they wait.

“Youngbae.” she says simply. “I've never once seen him less than impeccably dressed, even in the morning, but there you are, saying he's never clothed.”

Jiyong feels a surge of relief at that, and then promptly shoves it down. “He’s clearly got more regard for you than for me, then.” He says, dismissive, and all he can think is that either he makes Chaerin wait while he pulls on a shirt. It’s the only possibility.

Minho, over-eager and clearly besotted by the Duchess, overhears them just a little as he brings the horse over. “The Lady announces herself when she comes in, My Lord.” He says, like that’s an explanation. “She also uses the main door.” Chaerin covers her mouth to hide a giggle, as Jiyong nods in fake understanding.

The main door has a bell, Jiyong knows this because it’s  _ always _ had a bell and he hates the sound of it so he doesn’t use it, never has. Also, if she uses the main door and comes in at a normal time in the morning, Youngbae would be able to see her coming from his window, if he were even still in his room. Jiyong scowls a little as he takes the reigns for his horse from Minho, facing away from the boy; Chaerin would be able to question him now.

“So, you don’t use the main door?” She asks, sitting proper in her saddle. Jiyong glares straight ahead, turning the horse out to the field behind the extra barn and wondering (idly and completely without awareness) where Youngbae was right then.

“I don’t like the bell.” He says, delicate.

“You know, Youngbae mentioned that you come in extremely early at times, could it be that--”

Jiyong makes a noise, cutting her off. “Yes, yes I go in before dawn at times. I’ve had this conversation  _ with him _ so there’s no need to rehash it.” He sounds irritated, but it’s really because he doesn’t want her to know how right she had been.

She’s quiet for a moment, then she laughs softly. “Were you playing games?” She asks, keeping her horse beside his. “And you found out that you could see him shirtless if you caught him off guard...oh you’re sneaky.” She throws him a look, but he’s staring straight ahead, a blush on his cheeks, and her eyes go wide. “Oh! You didn’t even plan to do it!” She laughs, pleased. “Ah, but now you can’t stop, oh Jiyong, this is beautiful.”

It’s not, really, because he’s utterly pathetic. She’s right, of course, he’d been playing his game and then he’d stumbled upon this and as much as he grumbled and got flustered he knew he liked it. He knew he liked Youngbae. They see him coming around then, riding one of the gray horses, clearly trying to get it used to the trails. Jiyong keeps his eyes averted and hopes Youngbae isn’t doing anything physical when they get back.

***

It’s early morning, about a month later, and Jiyong is very pleased with himself but also terribly embarrassed that he is. 

He’d awoken earlier than normal, had been trying really hard not to play his little game, trying to break his habit of startling Youngbae into coming down shirtless. It wasn’t fair to Youngbae, he’d decided the night before Chaerin and Daesung left. He’d been many cups in when he’d decided that, but it didn’t matter because Daesung had agreed; he needed to stop playing. He and Youngbae could get along, he could see that. All he had to do was give it a chance and stop being horrible.

So he’d managed for a month not to come into the stable before it was decent, and Youngbae must have fallen into that routine again. That’s really the only answer. They’re more comfortable with each other now, and Youngbae seemed to have the ability to sense his moods better. He could tell if Jiyong was going to be mean just to be mean, or if he was feeling sleepy, or talkative and eager… He wasn’t rushing to come down and serve him like he had been before. 

Which raises a question, really, because if Youngbae had anticipated him basically every time before, without fail, how had he missed him this time? Youngbae wasn’t  _ complacent _ by any means, or in any way. So where was he?

Jiyong sighs, bites his lip, tries not to let himself do it…. But he’s lonely and wants company because he couldn’t sleep, so he slips off of the railing he’d been waiting on and moves over to the stairs to the loft. He hesitates there for a moment, but his want of company is stronger than his sense of propriety, and so he makes his way up, ducking just a little once he’s up there and pausing again at the door that leads into what Jiyong has always assumed was Youngbae’s room.

Should he knock? He shakes his head almost violently at that, because that’s ludicrous, he’s the Prince, he can go wherever he pleases. 

He should knock. He thinks, gnawing on his bottom lip, hand coming up like he’s ready to knock.

No, no he’ll just go in, they’re friends. It will be fine. With a final deep breath in, Jiyong turns the handle and pushes his way inside. 

It’s dark and quiet in the room, warm too, and Jiyong gives himself a second to adjust to the lighting before slowly closing the door and looking around him. He spots the bed at about the same time that he notices the sound of Youngbae’s breathing, and a smile lights up his face because he’d been right and also because apparently Youngbae was a heavy sleeper. He’d never have guessed that, but if he weren’t he’d have woken up already, right?

Jiyong bites his lip and edges closer to the bed, looking down when he’s beside it, head tilting and trying not to smile. Youngbae was sprawled under his quilt, hair a mess, and mouth open wide. He feels his heart skip a beat, and then realizes he’s in too deep, but he can’t back out now because a part of him had already known he was here and another part still wanted attention. 

“Youngbae?” He says, voice soft despite his desire to wake Youngbae. “Youngbae, wake up.” He demands, still soft but with a little bit of a whine added.

Youngbae’s eyelids flutter, breathing changing as he shifts and turns. “Mm, yeah?” Youngbae says, clearly still mostly asleep, Jiyong’s words and voice not penetrating. It make Jiyong smile.

“Youngbae.” Jiyong says, a little louder as he comes close to the edge of the bed. He can see that Youngbae is definitely not wearing a shirt, wonders if he’s wearing anything else, and then his eyes go wide and he shakes his head at himself:  _ what are you doing? _

“Jiyong?” Youngbae asks, eyebrows knitting together before he seems to really register that he’s said that and he shifts, blinking his eyes open and sitting up quickly. “Jiyong!” He says, surprised, voice rough but worried. 

“You were sleeping.” he responds, as unapologetic as possible, and as if he hadn’t purposefully woken Youngbae up. “You’re never sleeping.” He adds, and Youngbae’s still blinking the sleep out of his eyes, hand pushing back through his messy hair to put it in some semblance of order. 

“It’s early, did you, are you ah riding?” Youngbae asks, stumbling over the sentence, trying to wake up still.

Jiyong smiles and after a very short fight with himself, decides to leave and wait down in the stable. “I haven’t decided.” He says, turning for the door before he can no longer convince himself to move. “Come keep me company, now that you’re  _ awake. _ ” he adds, and he hears Youngbae make a startled noise of agreement behind him.

He retakes his seat on the railing from earlier and waits. It doesn’t take Youngbae long to come down, and he’s fully dressed, though Jiyong wouldn’t call him  _ properly _ dressed. He’d apparently gone for ease and not style. He looks good, though; he always does.

“You’re early today.” Youngbae says, blessedly ignoring that Jiyong had gone into his room to wake him up. “I wasn’t expecting it.” He adds, leaning against the post beside Jiyong.

“You slept late.” Jiyong shoots back, shifting on his perch as if he could ever get truly comfortable there. “You never missed me before.” he adds, and Youngbae’s answering smile is slow, like he’s got a secret.

“No, I didn’t, did I?” he asks, then shakes his head a little bit. “I’ll admit to having stayed up later than normal, so I didn’t wake up in time. Sun’s not quite all the way up now, is it?” he adds, like he has to explain himself.

Jiyong frowns a little, shifting to give him a once-over. “Well, you don’t look hung-over, and you don’t have an obvious odor, so I’ll cross two potential reasons for going to bed late off my list.” he says, trying for haughty to cover how thrilled he is to note those things.

Youngbae chuckles, eyes following a similar course to the one Jiyong’s had just taken, except slower. “No, we were getting ready for the snow.” He says, looking away and out over the rows of stables. “They’re saying it will start in a few weeks, and we’ve got a lot to do to be prepared.” 

Jiyong frowns, fingers pressing into the wood beneath him. “You’re coming south with us, right?” He asks, and it’s a little more vulnerable, a little more personal. They wouldn’t go south until after the holidays, so it was a stupid question; that was at least two months off, maybe three.

Youngbae tilts his head, turning back to Jiyong. “Most likely.” He says, then shrugs. “I mean, Minho won’t really be ready to travel with the horses by then, and you’ve so many…” He looks away again, and Jiyong knows he’s probably considering the horses and stable hands they’ve got at the southern palace, considering how Minho will handle  _ this _ stable alone, considering why Jiyong has so many horses to begin with.

Jiyong sighs, shifting a little more. “I wouldn’t trust him with them, so you’ll have to come.” He says, ending the topic there. 

If Jiyong starts spending too much time down in the stables after this conversation… well, he’s not questioned about it. He should be, probably, and he thinks about it often over the coming weeks as he makes his way down at random times during the day to see if Youngbae is free  _ enough _ to keep him company for a while. 

Since no one is questioning his time management, he eventually works himself up into cornering Soonho about it. “Am I so unimportant that no one even wonders what I’m spending my time doing every day?” he asks, and Soonho doesn’t even have the decency to look shocked  _ or _ cornered and harassed. 

“No, everyone knows what you’re doing.” He responds, and Jiyong blinks, surprised, then flushes horribly dark.

“What do you mean?”

Soonho shrugs, which is entirely improper but they’re clearly throwing propriety out the window since no one cares that the  _ Prince _ is spending all of his time sitting around in a stable. “Everyone knows you’re with the stable master.” He says, and he says it with a straight face, and Jiyong just stares at him, offended and affronted and a number of things he can’t outright define all at once.

“I’m not ‘with’ the stable master.” He says, defensive, and Soonho doesn’t smile, doesn’t laugh, but Jiyong has known him long enough to know he’s been caught out (already  _ was _ caught out, everyone knows you like him, everyone knows he’s…). 

“No, my Lord, of course not, that’s not what I meant.” Soonho says, simple and fluid and formal; exactly the way Youngbae never spoke to him anymore. “I was simply stating that the members of the household had noticed your trips to the stable, and were aware of your…” he hesitates here and Jiyong looks down his nose at him, arms crossed and  _ daring _ him to say it. “Friendship with the very capable stable master.” He says, wisely, and Jiyong nods once in understanding.

“Well, then.” He says, having nothing really to say to that. 

***

At Christmas time Jiyong finds himself unable to stop going down to the stable, wrapped in cloaks, to sit on a crate and watch Youngbae handle the horses in there. Youngbae puts up with him, and Jiyong knows they're friends, of a sort, but he's hedging for more, wants something more that he knows he's allowed to have but also knows he'll have to convince Youngbae is okay.

Chaerin suggests a wholly inappropriate present for Christmas, and Jiyong spends a week after reading the letter that had suggested it trying not to think about it whenever he’s around Youngbae until finally he can’t handle it anymore.

“You think I’m handsome, right?” He asks and Youngbae looks up at him, blinking and surprised, still holding the bale of hay he’d been preparing to move. 

“Ah, yes.” He says, clearly deciding that brief and simple was the best way to go with this. 

Jiyong hums, pleased, kicking his feet a little as he sits on one of the railings. “You know, Chaerin had the most...interesting idea for a Christmas present for you.” he says, gauging Youngbae’s reaction through carefully uninterested eyes.

Youngbae throws the bale of hay into the pen he wanted it in, moving over to undo the straps, face hidden from view. “She shouldn’t be considering gifts for me.” He says, and then he looks up at Jiyong from his spot crouched on the ground. “And neither should you.” He adds, and Jiyong frowns at him.

“I do what I want.” He says with a sniff, and Youngbae snorts out a soft laugh along with what Jiyong is pretty certain is a ‘trust me, I know’. “But anyway, I’ve been thinking it over, and I think that it’s really the only proper gift for you.” 

Youngbae finishes what he’s doing, dusting off his hands, and then looks over at Jiyong as he stands. “If it will make you happy.” He says, sincere, and that’s really a large part of why Jiyong likes him so much (along with everything else about him). 

“Oh, it will.” He promises, smile flirty and mysterious and Youngbae’s cheeks tinge pink, which makes Jiyong even more pleased.

He has to plan it out properly, has to get it right, because he doesn’t want to be turned down, is pretty certain he won’t be but he can’t be 100% certain really… 

Jiyong pushes open the door between the stable loft and Youngbae’s bedroom slowly on Christmas morning, and he fights off the soft shiver that passes through him because he really wasn’t wearing enough clothing under his heavy cloak. “Youngbae?” He calls, very softly, because he hadn’t expected there to be a candle lit on Youngbae’s bedside table. 

Youngbae shifts in bed, sitting up and looking over at him, and it’s clear that he’d been trying to wait up for something, and Jiyong feels a little pleased thrill run through him at the thought that maybe Youngbae was waiting for him. Jiyong moves closer now, so that he’s at the side of the bed, and Youngbae looks up at him, eyes a little wide. “Jiyong? You should be in bed…”

Jiyong shakes his head, and before he can over-think it, he drops his cloak and moves to get onto the bed. He’s in basically his underclothes, the normal number of layers he always tends to wear shed before he even left his room. “I’m in bed.” He says, cheeky, and Youngbae chuckles a little sleepily, but he seems a little wary.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” He asks, voice soft but still amused. 

Jiyong rolls his eyes, shifting a little uncertainly for a moment before he moves to straddle Youngbae’s thighs. “Have to give you your present, don’t I?” He says, grinning at him. “It’s Christmas.” He adds, like it was a secret, and Youngbae already seems a little shocked, hands fiddling with the sheets like he wants to move them. Jiyong shifts a little on Youngbae’s lap, urging Youngbae to touch him, which he does; hands coming up to Jiyong’s thighs, almost hesitantly. 

“Jiyong?” He asks, a little softly, almost confused.

“I thought, you know, a lot about what I could give you, and maybe I’m a little selfish, because this is what  _ I _ want, but…” He trails off, hands moving to drag up and across Youngbae’s chest. 

Youngbae blinks up at him, lips parting a little in surprise, then a small smile spreads over them. “You wanted to sit here?” He asks, falling comfortably into teasing. “This seems very…”

Jiyong shifts, leans forward, hips sliding back. “No, I want this.” He says, voice soft as his lips get closer to Youngbae’s. “Can I?” He asks, and Youngbae doesn’t respond, just presses up, lips meeting Jiyong’s solidly.

When they break apart, after way longer than Jiyong had ever imagined a kiss would take, he smiles against Youngbae’s lips. “Merry Christmas.” He says, and Youngbae lets out a soft chuckle, then groans and presses their lips together again, eyes pressing firmly closed, hands dragging around to press flat against jiyong’s back. 

“Merry Christmas.” He mutters, and Jiyong laughs.

~

“I was right, it’s okay, you don’t have to say it.” Chaerin says, and Jiyong scowls at her, but it’s all a show.

“I have to get a new stable master.” He says, frowning over at the stable at the winter palace. “Youngbae was perfect, you know, perfect for the job, and now I have to get a new one.” He reiterates, pouting.

Chaerin rolls her eyes. “He’ll train the next one, and then you can spend all of your time mooning over him without having to get dirty at the stable.”

Jiyong turns a soft glare on her. “Yes, well, I still have to find someone.” He grouses, but his attention is caught by Youngbae; he’s talking to Daesung, a smile on his face, hands moving as he speaks and he’s caught again by how beautiful he is, how perfect he is, how lucky he is to have him.

Chaerin raises an eyebrow at him, but says nothing more, moving away to go and drape herself on her husband’s arm, eyes daring Jiyong to do the same to Youngbae. It’s an idiotic challenge, but he takes it, looping his arm with Youngbae’s and tugging him away. “Please, let’s leave these two, you have to help me settle in.” He says, and Youngbae smiles at him, half a smirk, and Jiyong’s so upset that he doesn’t get flustered or blush (but it’s hot, too, so he’s not really upset).

“As you wish.” He murmurs, and then bows to Chaerin and Daesung before whisking Jiyong away.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did you know that CL/Daesung is not a pre-made relationship tag? I'm offended on behalf of both of them :P


End file.
